Thousands are estimated to have strolled through downtown Oak Park, bopping to the sounds of live music, taking in craft beer, and hobnobbing with neighbors and strangers, in what organizers say was one of the most successful and well-attended Oaktoberfests.
Jayne Furlong, spokeswoman for the Oak Park Business Alliance, which hosted Oaktoberfest, said some 8,000 people attended over the two-day fest Sept. 22 and Sept. 23.
“While many of our events are smaller in scale and focus on engaging with the Oak Park community, Oaktoberfest is a huge celebration that allows us to welcome neighbors from the Greater Chicago area into our district to share food, drinks, and music,” she told Pioneer Press.
Furlong said there were13 local restaurants selling food, with nine nonprofit and kid-focused businesses that provided free activities in the “Kids Root Beer Garden.” Three nonprofit organizations provided volunteers who handled tickets to the fest as well as the beer and wine tents.
Craft beer is a prominent offering at the annual event.
Furlong said Oaktoberfest organizers used a local distributor, Burke Beverage, to get several area brewery’s beers on tap, including Kinslagher of Oak Park, Revolution from Chicago, Noon Whistle located in Naperville. The beer and wine was served by volunteers from local nonprofit organizations, and those organizations get to keep the tips as a fundraising effort.
“This year we partnered with the Oak Park Area Arts Council and Beyond Hunger,” said Furlong.
In addition to food and drink, live entertainment at Oaktoberfest featured a variety of bands — both local and not — and a performance by School of Rock Oak Park.
“As an organization, we exist to serve the businesses of the Downtown Oak Park Business District, so all of our events are focused on highlighting the incredible diversity of businesses we have in our relatively small area,” said Furlong. “We focus on providing a high-quality experience for every attendee, from the music and beer down to the free Kid’s Root Beer Garden activities. We want everyone who comes to Downtown Oak Park for the festival to see how much we have to offer as a district.”
